Control system for the waterjet cutting Machine

This paper addresses the field of factory automation within the scope of machine control. It presents the control system for a waterjet cutting machine. It involves a PC based computer numerical control (CNC) controller that has been built on a QNX real-time (RT) operating system platform. Microsoft Windows, which is a commonly accepted graphical user interface environment, serves as a human machine interface (HMI) front-end. The CNC controller and the HMI are interconnected by the Ethernet TCP/IP link. The control system is flexible and modular. It supports CAD/CAM and a network link to the office-level of factory automation. The application is thoroughly presented with the highlight on RT features; the QNX RT operating system is analyzed in detail. Moreover, Ethernet TCP/IP technology for the use in a networked automated factory is also put in the foreground.